NORCROSS, GA / FEBRUARY 28, 2014 / ACCESSWIRE / VEGA BIOFUELS, INC. (Pink Sheets: VGPR) today announced it is expanding its business model to include the production of a product called torrefied biochar for various agricultural applications, including Marijuana and Hemp growers.

The Company recently announced plans to build a manufacturing facility that when completed, will manufacture a renewable energy product known as bio-coal using special technology called torrefaction. Bio-coal can be used in existing coal-fired power plants to replace traditional “dirty” coal.

In addition to producing bio-coal, the Company is now expanding its business model to include the production of a product called biochar to be marketed to growers in the burgeoning Marijuana and Hemp industries. Biochar is a product that is very similar to bio-coal, but is not used as a fuel. Biochar is made from timber waste using the torrefaction technology. Timber waste is burned at low temperature to create a charcoal- like product that can be applied to farm land to significantly improve soil health. When put back into the soil, biochar can stabilize the carbon in the soil for hundreds of years. It provides a great benefit to soil microorganisms increasing the quality of the soil.

“When the quality of the soil is an issue, as in the production of legal Marijuana and Hemp, biochar can be a critical component”, stated Michael K. Molen, Chairman/CEO of Vega Biofuels. “As a result of the boom happening in these two industries, we are now focusing more attention on showing growers in these markets how our biochar product can benefit the production of their products. It is a natural fit for us and we intend to exploit the opportunities for this product around the world and increase our profit margins in the process. By the ton, biochar is much more profitable to the Company than bio-coal and will have a noticeable impact on the Company’s bottom line. Our intent is to have multiple manufacturing lines producing both bio-coal and biochar.”

The introduction of biochar into soil is not like applying fertilizer; it is the beginning of a process. Most of the benefit is achieved through microbes and fungi. They colonize its massive surface area and integrate into the char and the surrounding soil, dramatically increasing the soil’s ability to nurture plant growth and significantly decrease the amount of greenhouse emissions.

According to Johannes Lehmann, Professor of Agricultural Science at Cornell University and an internationally recognized expert on biochar, adding biochar to just 10 percent of the world’s croplands would store 29 billion tons of carbon dioxide equivalent. This is roughly equal to the world’s annual greenhouse emissions.

Certain statements in this release constitute forward-looking statements or statements which may be deemed or construed to be forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. The words "forecast,” “plan,” "project," "intend," "expect," "should," "would," and similar expressions and all statements, which are not historical facts, are intended to identify forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements involve and are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which could cause the Company's actual results, performance (finance or operating) or achievements to differ from future results, performance (financing and operating) or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements.